Although it was chilly and drizzling, there were still flocks of tourists along the Great Ocean Road. Many of these tourists were from China and many of them had Holden Commodore SV6 rental cars. Those rental Commodores are almost like Australian ambassadors, rolling monuments to the talent and hard work of Aussie engineers and factory workers. Soon, when Chinese tourists come to visit, they will be reserving the same Hyundai Sonatas or Toyota Camrys they can purchase back home. “Made in Australia” will still apply to the food they eat or some of the souvenirs they buy, but not the cars they drive. How sad.

As you may remember, I already drove the Great Ocean Road five years ago with Brandon, renting a Hyundai i30. This time, I took my brother. I reserved one of those ubiquitous Holden Commodore SV6 sedans but was instead given my first ever free upgrade, to a Holden Caprice V.

This will likely be the last time I rent an Australian-built car as GM ends local production on October 20 this year. Not long after, the VF II Commodore and WN II Caprice, the Aussie-built Toyota Camry and Aurion, and the Ford Falcon and Territory will disappear entirely from rental fleets.

The Caprice name has been applied since 1974 to the largest, most expensive and most well-equipped Aussie Holden (not including the separate Holden Special Vehicles range). Despite the introduction of the downsized Commodore in 1978, the Caprice (and the related Statesman) remained on the old Kingswood/Premier platform. Both Statesman and Caprice took a break in 1984, returning in 1990 as long-wheelbase, luxury spinoffs of the Commodore. The Statesman was the lower-spec model, equivalent to a Ford Fairlane and for many years coming standard with cloth seats. The Caprice was distinguished by the use of additional chrome and richer interior trim, much like the Ford LTD.

In 2003, a funny thing happened. Holden repositioned the Caprice and the Calais – the highest-spec short-wheelbase Aussie Holden –as sportier, more European-inspired offerings with a firmer suspension tune than the lower-rung Berlina and Statesman. The Statesman was left to appeal to fleet and conservative, older buyers. In 2010, it was axed and only the Caprice remained in regular and higher-spec V guises (the V nameplate didn’t denote higher performance, unlike on Cadillacs).

Full-size sedan sales, like mid-size sedan sales, have been on a downward trajectory for years now. Once a popular choice with families, the full-size sedan peaked in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Commodores and Falcons have since been supplanted by crossovers in most suburban driveways and both have relied heavily on fleet, police and taxi sales. Full-size domestic luxury sedans have struggled even more. Ford withdrew its Fairlane and LTD in 2007, leaving the big Holden to battle the Chrysler 300.

VF Calais V

In 2013, Holden introduced the VF Commodore and Calais and WN Caprice. While the Commodore had new sheetmetal up front (and at the rear for sedans, too), the Caprice kept the same exterior. Design tweaks were limited to new wheels and badges, although the WN Caprice received the new interior design and a whopping $10k price cut.

A range simplification for the VF Series II revision in 2015 led to the removal of the Caprice’s formerly standard 3.6 V6, leaving just one loaded Caprice V with the C6 Corvette’s 6.2 LS3 V8, pumping out 408 hp at 6000 rpm and 423 ft-lbs at 4400 rpm.

I have to be blunt, here: I don’t know who in Australia, short of government departments like the Prime Minister’s office, is still buying the Caprice. Perhaps there remain some traditional buyers out there but, for the most part, luxury car buyers have moved on to the German brands. In 2016, the Mercedes-Benz C-Class outsold the Caprice by almost 7-to-1. The mainstream brand luxury full-size segment saw an overall sales decline of 36%.

Lest you think the Caprice competes only on cubic inches and cubic feet of cabin volume (like its gigantic 18.9 cubic foot trunk), let me assure you this is one impressive vehicle. The rigid Zeta platform has aged like fine wine, the Caprice staying poised and hunkered down through sweeping switchbacks. The chunky, leather-wrapped steering wheel is a tactile delight and the electrically-assisted steering affords plenty of feedback to the driver, lightening at low speeds.

It’s really quite remarkable how the 4000-pound Caprice can be hustled in the corners with no body roll. It’s even more remarkable that the Caprice can still offer a firm yet compliant ride that softens out pockmarked pavement. The Caprice’s ride/handling balance is, dare I say it, Germanic and it feels ready for anything, the only concession being you can feel the extra length over the regular Commodore and Calais.

The VW is a rental, too.

As I was driving my brother under the seemingly omnipresent gaze (or possibility) of Victorian police, I didn’t try to push the Caprice to the limit. But although it has a tight chassis, the Caprice’s character is that of a refined, executive express. Road noise is nicely muffled and the 6.2 V8’s engine note is subdued except under hard acceleration. While the LS3 V8 may beg you to push it in, say, a Commodore SS, in the Caprice it quietly goes about its business and delivers effortless power through a smooth-shifting six-speed automatic. Think of it more as a graceful, rapid greyhound than a gnashing, frothing guard dog.

You can knock the shifter to the left to activate sport mode. If you want to manually shift your gears, you can then pull the shifter back or push it forward. No paddle shifters are available.

All that grunt means heavy fuel consumption. The big sedan is rated at 18 mpg combined (12.9 L/100km), which is more than the old 6.0 V8 and certainly more than the V6 in the Commodore/Calais. I achieved average fuel economy of around 19 mpg, but that was mostly country driving. Premium fuel is recommended, although it can run on regular unleaded.

Taking the inland road back to Melbourne meant a few hours of highway driving, where the Caprice is in its element thanks to a comfortable ride and a hushed cabin. Sadly, however, the Caprice starts to lose its luster when you take a look at its cabin.

The design is really quite attractive. When the VE Commodore and WM Statesman/Caprice range debuted in 2006, four different interior designs were offered. This was fiscally imprudent for Holden and so, for the VF/WN revision, one basic interior design was introduced. Fortunately, they chose a simple bi-level center stack with a large, eight-inch touchscreen and audio controls on top and HVAC controls and a rather large storage recess below.

In the Calais and Caprice, the cabin is dressed up with leather trim, some leather trim on the dash, and some suede accents on the dash and seats. But the cabin is also dressed up with some fake metal trim on the dash and a strip of faux carbon fiber applique. There are an awful lot of different textures and materials on the dashboard so, although the overall design is simple and elegant, the execution isn’t. I’m also concerned the suede won’t wear well.

The faux metal trim on the dash and steering wheel also create annoying glare issues, while the A-pillars are just as thick and vision-obstructing as they were in 2006. Hard plastic is also used on the dash top and the bottom of the center stack. On a $AUD35,000 Commodore Evoke, that’s not so bad. On a $61,000 Caprice, it’s bothersome.

The plastic trim around the window switches is also tacky, although it’s nice to see Holden has moved these switches back to the doors where they belong; the old VE range had them in front of the gearshift for ease of conversion to LHD. While these controls may look cheap, the switchgear on the dash feels wonderfully high-quality and anything that reduces overall touchscreen usage is a win in my book.

If I didn’t have to use Holden’s MyLink infotainment system at all, I would have been happy. The overall design of the interface is inoffensive enough but the system needs work, with slow response times and an unintuitive layout. For some reason, the Bluetooth option was greyed out, forcing me to connect my iPhone via USB cable to one of the inputs located in the center console. But then, upon plugging in my phone each time and pressing Source on the touchscreen, the system kept defaulting to opening Pandora. Annoying. Another black mark was the quality of the backup camera with a rather hazy, low-resolution image for a car at this price point.

One of my fondest childhood memories involved relaxing in the cushy leather seats of a VR Caprice. The WN II Caprice’s heated leather seats, unfortunately, are anything but cushy. They’re overly firm although they offer a good amount of bolstering. Other companies can balance comfort and support better, though. The memory function was also supremely irritating, the Caprice refusing to accept my input. In hindsight, a flick through the owner’s manual might have been a good idea but this really shouldn’t be necessary for such a simple function. Also perplexing is why Holden engineered ventilated seats for export Chevrolet SS sedans but never bothered putting them in domestic market models. Nor did Holden introduce the massaging rear seats used for the Korean-market Caprice, the Daewoo Veritas. At least rear passengers in the Caprice get two video monitors, as well as an abundance of room.

The Caprice does get some technology right. The blind spot alert is a simple yet brilliant safety feature. Visibility is quite good overall in the Caprice but every car has blind spots, and the simple flashing lights on the side mirrors helpfully light up when a car is lurking just out of sight. This is a modern safety feature that truly works and can help reduce accidents.

One feature I can’t speak more highly of is the Caprice’s Head-Up Display. The technology has been around for decades – GM first started offering it in the late 1980s – but it has been refined over time. In the Caprice, the execution is sublime. The clear and legible display needed no adjustments and provided a digital read-out of the speed, as well as an analog tachometer reading. A little green car icon appears when sensors detect a car ahead. When using the satellite navigation, directions will appear in the HUD when there is a turn coming up. Song titles will also briefly display when you change songs. The HUD has all the information you need and none that you don’t, and it allows you to avoid looking down into the gauge cluster entirely except to occasionally check your fuel level. This feature isn’t just a gimmick—it’s an underrated safety feature. The only hiccup it had was when, at one point, a pictogram of two cars colliding briefly appeared when there were no cars ahead.

For $AUD61k, you can buy a base-model Mercedes-Benz C200 with a 181 hp, turbocharged four and the basic suspension set-up, or a 408 hp Holden Caprice V. There’s not much of a difference in dynamic competence between a base C200 and a Caprice and there’s a considerable gulf in terms of performance and cabin space.

But let’s consider another option. Say the snob appeal of a German badge means little to you and you don’t mind the extra hit in depreciation that comes with buying a fully-loaded Aussie sedan. Why not save $5k and buy a Calais V V8 sedan? You have all the luxury goodies and power of the Caprice and still ample cabin and trunk space. If you want to save another $8k, you can get a Calais V with the relatively gutsy 281 hp 3.6 V6. You have to ask yourself if you really need the extra legroom. Unless your back-seat passenger is Malcolm Turnbull, the answer is: probably not.

The frustrating thing is the Caprice’s flaws are really quite minor. Update the infotainment, put a little more padding in the seats, tidy up the interior trim a little and you’d have a world-class luxury sedan at an absolute steal of a price.

But GM won’t make those changes because it is shutting down local production. The Caprice will go and the Commodore will be replaced by a rebadged Buick Regal/Opel Insignia. I’m sure that car will be perfectly fine, like the current Regal/Insignia, but it won’t be as special.

It saddens me to think those Chinese tourists on the Great Ocean Road won’t be able to drive an Australian-made car. They probably won’t know about the VF Commodore and WN Caprice, world-class cars that used a platform we engineered and which we exported all across the globe. Those tourists won’t know we engineered and built cars in Australia and did a damn good job of it, too. Aussies will remember the Commodores and Falcons they grew up in, and enthusiasts will collect and lovingly maintain plenty of these. But the rest of the world will never know (or soon forget) that we made more than just Vegemite and Ugg boots. We made great cars.

44 Comments

The last Commodore I rented was the car that put me off the brand, that was a 06 V6 with quite uncomfortable seats, from the sound of your drive they havent improved them oh well I’d not planned to get a Holden when my daughter takes my Citroen to uni with her, though the new Vauxhall Insignia models actually sound ok they are well out of my price range but I might hire one for a blast over hwy 5 just for a look see on the handling and comfort.

Nice article Will, and well done on the upgrade! I had a similar experience years ago with a Fairlane Ghia replacing a Mitsubishi 380, so that made the trip up the northern NSW coast a bit more special. Upon reflection it was probably 12 years ago!

The repositioning of the Caprice is interesting, now at or just above the luxury car tax threshold that was traditionally the preserve of the Statesman. As for sales, I expect most would be to the livery trade although plenty of those are now imports.

On a minor note I have also experienced glare from brushed metal trim, and I’m surprised that manufacturers have made such an ergonomically poor move. At one stage I had to drive along holding my hand in front of part of the dash to stop some really annoying glare.

One of the first mods I made to my SS (since returned to its pre-import brand) was to replace the excessive blingy bits in the cabin with piano black equivalents offered on some trim levels of the VF2. Made a huge difference.

After living with my company car (SS) for 3 years & just short of 100k miles, I’d say you Aussies built a better American-style (big, RWD, V8) sedan than we Americans. Traveling salesmen like me are becoming obsolete, just like the big sedans we’ve pushed back and forth across the country peddling our wares. Too bad. The SS is the best road car I’ve ever had. Glad to have such a great car to end my career on the road. Thank you Australia!

You’re not supposed to write a Requiem until after the death, William. But that was a fitting and poignant post none-the-less.

Four months and 15,000 miles into ownership of my SS-V Redline, I can only echo what you wrote. On paper, the tech in the car looks impressive, but it’s quite dated and buggy in spots (particularly the head unit). Thankfully, the driving experience is what you come for, and this car is simply the best I’ve ever owned or driven (which is why I keep finding excuses to drive). We’ve found the seats to be quite comfortable on our numerous long trips as well.

“But the rest of the world will never know (or soon forget) that we made more than just Vegemite and Ugg boots. We made great cars.”

There are a few of us (12,953, to be exact) here in the States who think your car is fair dinkum!

The rise and rise of the SUV (one of the factors leading to the demise of the great Aussie sedan) will forever remain a mystery to me. Yes, I can understand the logic of an SUV but it still does not justify the lemming-like migration of car buyers to them. Not all of us live in the mountains where a vehicle with a high clearance and 4X4 would make sense, nor do all persons over 60 find it difficult to get in and out of a normal car. In case anyone is asking: I have a bad back so no one can lecture me about this problem, but I’m not prepared – just because of this factor – to switch to something which is slower, brakes longer, handles worse and uses more fuel (and in many cases uglier).

I have not experience with these (other than gazing lovingly at Ed’s) but I am sad that the end has come to Australian auto manufacturing. Aussie offerings have been a source of unending fascination to us here in the US. In my book, fewer choices is always worse than more choices.

Long ago PM Sir Robert G. Menzies, a long time proponent of Australian industrial development is likely turning in angst and additionally, likely posthumously, weeping in his final resting place at the dismemberment and loss of the Australian Auto industry, and especially Holden, once called “Australia’s own car” which began production in post war 1948.

When returning home, during my occasional visits, I would enjoy experiencing the new Holdens of the family branches living in Victoria and S.A. Additionally I always enjoyed the pleasurable experiences of the Fords of the Geelong branch. Definitely an end of an era.

Menzies was a protectionist, as was Labor at that time. Good, bad, indifferent, name your argument, such protectionist policies did develop the industry here over many years. Where Menzies would be swivelling in his tomb was when the Treasurer of the party he founded publicly taunted GM in parliament in 2012 to stay or go; of course, they took the political opportunity offered, and left.

The name of the woolly-minded twit who did this was Joe Hockey. He is currently the Australian ambassador to the US.

That, and the gradual dismantling of the protective tariff barriers local manufacturers once hid behind, have spurred the market’s general loss of interest in these big sedans. As Camry-class cars offered much the same space, why buy larger? We’ve never owned a car this big, and our children/teenagers/adults managed just fine.
High fuel prices, tight (ever-smaller?) parking spots and ever-increasing city traffic have turned many of us away from them. As imports became cheaper and SUVs and crossovers offered more interior space and a more-commanding road view for a similar footprint, buyers have looked elsewhere. Plus there’s always the ‘monkey-see, monkey do’ effect; wanting to drive something similar to the herd.
Shame.

Yeah sales have plummeted here too but having been driving Commodores lately the last one being a 05 Calais one thing I did like was the maneuverability in town they have a very good steering lock compared to FWD cars and I found the Holdens we got given great in town(Christchurch) traffic ok my daily drive at the time was a DAF eight wheeler towing an eight wheel trailer thats 26 wheels in American speak(you guys count tyres I know) so a Commodore is only a puddle jumper compared, but hey good in town for whats quite a big car.

I’d have to disagree, Toyota and Nissan set up shop in Australia in the mid-’60’s and followed by Mitsubishi in the ’70’s. The main problem was the rate of Australia’s dollar as opposed to other currencies. The Ford-Mercury Capri is just an example, along with the Holden Monaro/ Pontiac GTO, they were good to have, but when the Aussie dollar rose (like Canada’s) it made a terrible choice for Chrysler, Toyota, et al to make, and that was to import or die. and the bottom line of local production became too much of a burden to bear. Sadly, BOTH Australia and Canada had a massive field day with their wares back in the day before the higher-ups in Detroit and Tokyo messed with it. Beaumonts, Falcons, Valiants, Monaros, Envoys and Toranas will NEVER be forgotten, I know I wont forget.

William, it appears you won the rental car lottery with that one! A very fitting end to the line and a good way to go out. That’ll likely be the last newest, lowest mileage Caprice you’ll ever get to drive…

Thank for the history too, it’s always been a bit confusing and still is in regard to Caprice/Calais/Commodore. I’m versed in DX/LX/EX and CE/LE/XLE but when it comes to named trim levels I get lost. (Biscayne/BelAir/Concours over here etc is endlessly confusing, I suppose this is the same but over there.)

Very nice review of the end of an era. I too wish GM could update this vehicle and keep it going, but I realize I’m on shaky ground as far as putting my money where my mouth is. We bought a small / near mid-size sedan (2015 Dodge Dart) this year for one of my kids, the first sedan in our house since 2005. I like a lot about it, but I miss the space, upright seating and ride height of our CUV, SUV and truck. While my wife has some leanings toward a sedan for our next car, I find myself showing her Buick Enclaves.

Folks who decry the trend toward the CUV / SUV and make derogatory comments about a ride height war apparently don’t drive a diversity of vehicles. Our Dart sits low in traffic, but also can’t see over the landscaping on the corner of our street. Ride height is not just about other vehicles.

It reminded me of the ’88-’92 Incarnation of the Cadillac Brougham, with the big rectangular lamps and the long roofline. Skirt the fenders, take the quarter windows out of the C-pillar and you’re pretty close!

Absolute bummer about the Australian auto industry. I really dig that the rwd/V8 configuration is still a thing down there.

GM and Ford both really let a good thing go to waste. The Falcon and Commodore platforms should have been produced here Stateside as the ‘standard’ layout instead of a bunch of rinky dink fwd appliances. Yes, FWD has its place…and that’s in compact and subcompact cars, IMHO. Larger cars with rwd and a V8 or at least powerful 6 just deliver a much better driving experience and are better platforms as performance machines. With fwd and a mandatory slushbox…its just numb and no longer any fun. But I guess its a perfect storm of engineering downwards to meet regulations and ‘not invented here syndrome’ that leads to a race to the bottom.

I’m more partial to the Mopar LX’s but these are definitely worthy competition.

The Commodore was nearly built in the US/Canada a couple of times (97-98 and 2006) when new generation cars were starting, but for whatever reason didn’t happen. Ford looked at it in the 1980s, not sure if they did again later.

The Ford Global RWD platform was ostensibly cancelled because a fwd car will be a couple of percent more fuel efficient than a rwd car due to the simpler power transmission to the wheels without any 90° turns, plus I expect because people in northern markets won’t buy as many rwd cars. Add awd and theoretically the fuel issue should be insignificant.

The only Holden products I have seen here lately are LAX police cars. What I find fascinating is the recycling of GM model names. Calais and Caprice both date back to 1965 in the US market. Calais was the cheapest Cadillac and Caprice the most expensive Chevy.

I can somewhat identify with your sense of melancholy over the loss of Australian car production. Being from Flint, Michigan, former home (for almost 100 years) of Buick World Headquarters, it’s hard for me to view any new Buick with the same level of pride or sense of “ownership”, no matter how good the Opel it’s based on. (I do like the new Regal and LaCrosse, though.)

There are a few Australian Caprice police vehicles out and about, here in Chicago. They always throw me for a loop, resembling our last-generation Impala as much as they go (as pointed out by Jason Shafer).

Thanks for sharing this wonderful review on one of Australia’s final domestically-produced cars. I can’t say how saddened I am that these cars are going away and their production in Australia is as well for a more generic rebadged version of a common GM vehicle.

The bodyshell of the Caprice is definitely showing its age, however it’s still attractive in a conservative way. The Calais’ styling on the other hand, is still very sleek and contemporary, if not a bit generic. Same goes for the interior styling.

It’s good to know that Caprice handles with remarkable poise for such as large car on an older platform as I’ve never driven one or related versions sold in the U.S.

Glad you had an enjoyable if not bittersweet experience. As the trend has been going lately with the comments, these driving impressions/review-type articles are really interesting!

BTW, My mom was once given a free “upgrade” from Enterprise once, from a 2012 Civic to a 201 W-body Impala… some upgrade 🙁

The loss of the Aussie auto industry really is a damn shame–as others have noted, I’m always in favor of more choice. Too bad that more people didn’t choose the products necessary for GM and Ford not to pull the plug, though some if it is of course politics.

It’s also a bit jealousy-inducing to hear the choices you have, at least for a few more months. We haven’t had a V8 Impala for quite a few years, and the last one we did have had way too many flaws to ignore.

Then again, I’m one to be talking–the last two cars I’ve bought have both had the lowest-spec, cheapest engine available. Part of the problem. 🙁

I’m disappointed I was late to this one. I bought a 2015 Chevrolet SS brand new. Black on black, 6 speed manual. I loved everything about it and fully intended to keep it forever and drive it until the wheels fell off. Unfortunately a divorce and other financial realities meant I could no longer justify keeping a nearly $50k car to drive every day, so she had to find a new home. I’d buy another one in a second, and hopefully one day I can. And it’s a safe bet that anyone reading would enjoy one too.

Holden is dead, long live Holden! What a sad day to see the last cars roll out of Elizabeth Assembly. GM should at least reuse the tooling- there is a lot of life left in the VF Commodores.

On a recent trip to Australia, I was upgraded to a Commodore SV6 when I showed my 3-volume book “On a Global Mission: The Automobiles of General Motors International”.

Instead of a Corolla i experienced sheer bliss in the Holden over 4,800 KM (3,000 miles) netting a speeding ticket in the process. The thick A-pillar and some trim reflection were the only letdowns. Sure the doors don’t close like my Benz E-Class but in every other way, the dynamics of the Holden were top notch, particularly the steering.

Australians are beginning to realize that they have not only lost their auto industry, they have lost a strategic manufacturing base that earned the country great respect in WWII.

This is an incredibly sad outcome that will haunt Australia in the future.

Its quite sad Aussie production has ended ,I owned a lot of Holdens Falcons and Valiants over the years I was in OZ they were cheap to buy fairly durable and reliable and simple to get going again if they died, THis one I kept for many years good simple tough old cars , I’m not much of a fan of more recent models but I do like the classic models this one from 1963.